Getting Out of Bed in the Morning

For years I've wanted to write a book about grief, loss and the brokenness of life. I've journaled and written articles, edited newsletters, spoken on heartache, taught writing workshops, cried, wondered, and pondered. Thanks to Leafwood Publishers, my devotional comes out in January! Getting Out of Bed in the Morning: Reflections of Comfort in Heartache holds forty different entries that each have prayers, scipture verses (many from the Psalms), and tips on reaching out to a God who sustains on every rocky journey.

Here's a little taste of my devotional, starting with the preface.

I set out to write a book about me—my anguish, my loss, my pain, my doubt, my questions. Instead I was pointed to God and wrote about His grace, His love, His faithfulness and His forgiveness. In those are His answers.

We often think it’s all about us—how much we suffer, how much we cry, how tormented we feel. But when we weigh all of our misery against His grace, His grace outweighs it all. God’s compassion is stronger, fiercer than our struggle, His love more constant, radiant and healing than any problem in our den of lions.

If you are early in your grief, you may not understand what I’m talking about. You might still be at odds with God and while you like the title of this book, as you flipped through the pages, that’s all you like. That’s okay. God meets us wherever we are and no amount of disbelief, anger or frustration keeps Him from loving His children. It has taken me fifteen years from the worst heartache of my life to come to this place of comfort, this stream of beauty. And I never thought I’d be here. When my son first died, I told God that we would only communicate in passing, like a neighbor I don’t like when I see her over the fence. I almost wished I had had no past with God—no history, no conversion story—so that I didn’t have to be angry with Him for my loss. God would be distant from now on. I would not expect anything from Him again as I learned to adapt to my heartache.

I am one who had to wrestle. Like Jacob, I did. I groaned and I fought and groaned some more. And through it all, I was surprised. What I thought I’d discarded for good instead became a new song in my mouth. I welcomed a stronger, genuine, more realistic faith—a possession I keep within my broken heart, a gift no moth or thief can steal.

~*~*~*

With the pre-launch of Getting Out of Bed in the Morning, I've created a blog called Broken Psalms. This blog will be a plce where we can share heartache and comfort from a Old and New Testament perspective. I hope you'll join me there.

Still Life in Shadows Pre-Labor Day Special Deal

Friends, something in the air has made me decide to offer a free pack of postcards with envelopes to all who purchase an autographed copy of Still Life in Shadows from me by September 2! This offer is good for all of my faithful newsletter, Literary Lyrics, subscribers, and to all who follow me at my blog. If you get my newsletter or follow me here, then you are welcome to take part of this deal. Choose a pack of cards from the selection below. These cards are great to send to friends with ample room to write your own message on the back.

A Grateful Heart Dances Option #1

OR

Songs from Heaven Option #2 "Who will remember those who no longer sing on earth? We, who hear their songs from Heaven."

Simply pay $16.99---nope, I've reduced it for an even better deal---ONLY $12.99 with PayPal by selecting from the menu button which option you want----#1 or #2.

A set of your choice of cards and an autographed copy of Still Life in Shadows will be sent to you!


Offer only good in the USA and only good until September 2. You can also mail a check to: 201 Monticello Avenue, Durham, NC 27707

Email with any questions: info@alicewisler.com

PAYPAL

Still Life in Shadows

With A Grateful Heart cards $12.99 USD With Songs from Heaven cards $12.99 USD

Having fun with Still Life in Shadows: Stepping Outside the Norm

Novelist Alice Wisler creates unforgettable characters in a plot that keeps turning up surprises. Read it and weep. Or laugh. Maybe even pray. ~ Eugene H. Peterson, Translator of The Message

So, I am having much more fun than I should ever since my fifth novel, Still Life in Shadows, came out this month.

Having a new novel means a lot can happen and a lot has the potential to happen. Besides book events, there are tweets to post on Twitter, with the hopes of enticing folks to read. Some of the ones I've posted include:

* What's an ex-Amish man doing in the South? Find out for only 99 cents.

* Want to get inside of the mind of a 13-year-old autistic girl? Still Life in Shadows' Kiki is just waiting for you to read her thoughts.

*What do an ex-Amish man and an autistic girl have in common?"

There are photos to share. The one below is of the tranquil Smoky Mountains, since my novel is set there.

And speaking of photos, one of my influencers has set up a Gideon Photo Album, showcasing my character, Gideon Miller. How fun is that! Kimberli Buffaloe, my own photo journalist, takes her copy of Still Life in Shadows with her. The book has been photographed in various locations including the cute one below with Baby Silas. I call it "Still Life with Baby in Shadow."

Kimberli's captions for each photo are intriguing. For the photo with the baby she writes, "As I read Still Life in Shadows, I noticed Gideon is experiencing an emptiness in his life. He misses some things about his family--he definitely misses blackberry pie--and I get the impression he feels another family will fill that cavern. But Gideon's need is deeper, and from what I can tell, he hasn't yet learned he must be "like one of these". Thanks for allowing Silas to explain it to him, Sheri!"

My favorite aspects of this publicity season centers around what others are saying. This includes reading the comments from those who have read Still Life in Shadows. Since the story is an ex-Amish one, dealing with the not-so-pure sides of Amish life, I'm grateful when someone "gets" what my novel is trying to say.

* "None of the typical Amish fluff stuff in it." ~ Rachel Overton

* "This book brought to light the "other side" of the Amish world. Christian fiction has an overabundance of books, in my opinion, in which the Amish are portrayed in an overly positive light, one of purity and simplicity. While Wisler's goal is not in any way seeking to denigrate the Amish, she did draw on true-life experiences of those who have "escaped" the Amish culture in writing her novel. I've only read one other novel (Christian fiction) that dealt with the Amish way of life, and frankly, never much considered the negative aspects of it before reading this book. Wisler handles the topic thoughtfully and tastefully, yet honestly at the same time." ~ Angela McClendon

* "I have your book and I am really looking forward to reading it. I do love the peacefulness portrayed by Amish stories... the canning and the quilting bees, but life's NOT perfect, and I want that portrayed in books too. Thanks for stepping outside the norm!" ~ Ladette Collins Kerr

Others plan to read it, and confess the following:

* "For a long time, I placed the Amish community on a pedestal, thinking they were more pure and holy than the rest of us. Now I have come to realize that they are people just like the rest of us! Thanks for making that point, Alice Jay Wisler." ~ Andrea Schultz

* ". . . Quite frankly I believe that some (not all) Amish communities are not following the Gospel of Christ. There is a strong currency of legalism and works mentality. I'm not saying there are not Amish that are Christians, I definitely believe that there are. Amish is a closed community and also has a high rate of child abuse sadly. I pray that those that leave would come to know Christ and not be caught up in all the false sparkle of the world." ~ Julia Reffner

Pam Kellogg thanked me for having the "guts" to write my novel. I thank her for realizing that in an in-love-with-Amish-books mentality we have created in the Christian fiction world, some might see me stepping out of the norm as a little risky. But I feel the Amish, like the rest of us, are not beyond needing God's compassion, mercy and grace.

And if writing a novel can get someone to get out there and be inspired to be creative, then I like that, too!

* "Just finished it last night. Alice Jay Wisler, I'm truly in awe of this book. It's fantastic. Not what I was expecting (and of course I was expecting it to be good) but it was even better than my expectations. It even inspired me to do some of my own writing today. It doesn't get better than that for me!" ~ Sandra Smith

Hop over to get your own copy!

Hopefully, you'll agree with Kim Snoddy, "I really appreciate that your books have complex characters with real-life heart issues."

Going Against the Trend

This piece was first printed in Christian Fiction Online Magazine in August 2012.

Going Against the Trend

I’m not Amish.

Or a wanna-be Amish.

I’m not even an ex-Amish.

I went to a Mennonite college for four years, but I’m not Mennonite. I grew up in Japan, but I’m not Japanese. I’ve lived twenty-four years in Durham, North Carolina, eat grits and make my own sweet tea, but I’m not a real southerner.

I’m an outsider. I know what it’s like to look into cultures and subcultures from the outside.

When I thought of the Amish I was reminded of delicacies like shoo-fly pie and apple butter. I was mesmerized by the lovely handmade quilts displayed in souvenir shops. Horse-drawn buggies drew me into a land that time seemed to have forgotten. Even so, the whole culture held an eerie feel to me each time I visited Lancaster County with my college friends.

What were these people hiding?

I gave the Amish a rest for some time until one night, my husband turned on the TV. The documentary that he flipped to brought me face-to-face with Mose Gingerich, an ex-Amish man. Mose wasn’t just any ex-Amish, he was assisting other Amish who had left their farmland communities. I grabbed my pen and paper off my bedside table (every author keeps at least a few pads and pens by her bed for when she’s woken with those awesome plots, right?). I took notes. By the time the program ended, I had a story idea. This would not be a bonnet tale sprinkled with German dialect; this would be a story of leaving the Amish. My character, Gideon Miller, would help dissatisfied Amish youth relocate to the mountains of North Carolina (all my previous novels take place in North Carolina; I can’t help it, I’m endeared to this location).

As I plodded along at my computer, I wrote of abuse and struggles my Gideon dealt with growing up in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. I knew I was going against the trend. Certainly, others—even authors in my own writing groups—would scold me for not depicting this peace-loving religion as gentle as the rolling hills of Lancaster County. I might be shunned from publication ever again.

I was willing to take the risk. Another side—a realistic side—needed to be told. I wanted to present a new angle to those hundreds of popular tales of bonnets and black hats. And part of me was angry that while claiming to believe the Bible, Amish told their children that leaving their hats and suspenders meant riding the buggy into the depths of Hell. (I get angry when the Gospel is falsely represented.)

My agent embraced my story. As he sent it to various publishers, he conveyed that a few felt it was a bit risky since it was not the norm for an Amish tale. But all I needed was one publisher to want it. And, one day last fall, Moody Publishers/River North did.

Perhaps you’re like me, wanting to write something different from the “norm”. Perhaps God has placed a story on your heart that you are compelled to create. You try to steer from it, and yet, it keeps tugging at your pen. Your story will not let you go.

Go for it! If we can’t write what we are passionate about, why write at all? Tell a good story, polish it to the best of your ability, and see where it lands. God is in the different, just as He is in the ordinary. As you seek Him and ask Him to guide you, He just might lead you to go against the trend.

Get your copy of Still Life in Shadows now.

~ Alice J. Wisler grew up in Japan as a missionary kid, graduated from a Mennonite college, traveled extensively, worked in a refugee camp in the Philippines, and finally settled in North Carolina. She’s the author of Rain Song (Christy Finalist 2009), How Sweet It Is (Christy Finalist 2010), Hatteras Girl, A Wedding Invitation and now, Still Life in Shadows. Ever since the death of her son Daniel, she’s taught Writing the Heartache workshops and speaks at conferences on the value of writing through grief and loss. Visit her website and join her on her author page on Facebook where she’ll be giving away prizes.

Carved By Heart

So, people think all I do is write novels and try to get people to buy them. Not so. I also cook dinner, walk three miles a day, battle weeds in my yard, and most recently, started a new business with my husband. One of my jobs was to create a website. I posted here about a week ago that our new venture is called Carved Remembrances. Carl (my husband) said, "Remembrances is easy to misspell. We need another name." So after brainstorming and even calling our friend Lori who was in Vegas at the time, we came up with a new name. Carved By Heart. After obtaining a name, I was ready to design our website.

What is Carved By Heart? It's a wonderful creation of wooden plaques made of oak, poplar, birch and pine. Each plaque is personalized. We have remembrance plaques, pet plaques, and memorabilia plaques.

The Memorabilia Plaques hold the memories of a recent vacation or special event. Depending on where you've been, we'll customize your plaque. For an example, this one is taken on the infamous Route 66. In the little "box" to the right is a piece of the actual road (Carl stole it, not me) and the picture is of Carl on the road.

Plaques can be painted as the example of this Welcome Friends Plaque shows.

Basically, we are ready, the shop is opened, the carving machine is oiled and we want to make a special plaque for you!

Stop by Carved By Heart and check it out. You can join our mailing list for exceptional promotions.

We are having a special right now on the Remembrance Plaques. Soon, we plan on having an open house or open garage so local friends can stop by for a visit to view our products and have some refreshments.

All Things Southern: Sweet Tea!

What better image is there of the South than a few friends gathered on a wrap-around porch in rocking chairs with a pitcher of iced tea? It's summertime, of course. Everyone is barefoot and in sleeveless dresses, or shorts and tank tops. In the distance is the hum of Mr. Robinson's lawn mower and a few catbirds cry out in the nearby magnolia tree.

Sweet tea! Even as a child growing up, I enjoyed sweet tea in Japan. Only we called it iced tea, and my Virginian mama made pitchers of it every summer. From an early age I learned that if you want the sugar to dissolve, you have to add it while the brew is still hot and stir like crazy.

"Sweet tea," says my Durham, North Carolina-born and bred friend, Hilarie. "Why do we need to add the sweet? If it's iced tea, it's supposed to be sweet."

Now don't get Hilarie started on this topic. I did the other night and well, this girl has her opinions. For her, it's them Yankees who decided to make it sugarless and now we have to distinguish between sweet and non. Even in the South! Certainly, in these parts, the home of tea, we shouldn't have to ask, "Do you want tea? Do you want it sweet or not sweet?" The assumption should be that if it's tea you want to drink, well, it's sweet!

Where did iced tea get its roots in the United States?

In the 1900s it was known as a luxury because tea was not readily available nor were ice and sugar, so drinking it was a sign of wealth. The first mention of a recipe for it was found in a 1879 cookbook called Housekeeping in Old Virginia by Marion Cabell Tyree. The recipe called for green tea, because during that era, that's what Americans drank. After World War II, green was replaced with black. The reason? While America was at war with Japan, the shipment of green tea stopped. America was allies with Great Britain and was able to import black tea since there was plenty of it in British-controlled India. Iced tea was then made with black tea.

And in the South, if you wanted tea, it meant you desired a nice glass of tea, poured over ice cubes. No need to call it sweet, folks knew what you meant.

Now we have to decide not only if we want it sweet or not, but if we want it with a squirt of peach or mango or raspberry.

My, things have changed!

According to my friend Margaret Leigh's relations, tea should be sweetened so well that it can give you cavities by just looking at the mason jar it comes in. I liked that image so much that I used it in my first novel, Rain Song, which takes place in Mount Olive, North Carolina.

So here's to tea, one of the South's finest inventions.

"Ice Tea. - After scalding the teapot, put into it one quart of boiling water and two teaspoonfuls green tea. If wanted for supper, do this at breakfast. At dinner time, strain, without stirring, through a tea strainer into a pitcher. Let it stand till tea time and pour into decanters, leaving the sediment in the bottom of the pitcher. Fill the goblets with ice, put two teaspoonfuls granulated sugar in each, and pour the tea over the ice and sugar. A squeeze of lemon will make this delicious and healthful, as it will correct the astringent tendency." ~ Housekeeping in Old Virginia

Our New Venture

My husband and I have a new venture. Carved Remembrances is a special way of remembering those you love. The red oak plaque here can sit on your table or hang on the wall. There's room for a picture of your loved one as well as his/her name and the birth and death dates. We're expanding our selections to suit your needs. And we're excited about providing our public with wonderfully-crafted items to bring you solace.

Visit our webpage.

Email info@alicewisler to ask for an order form today!

Still Life in Shadows has arrived!

Oh, happy day! My fifth novel, Still Life in Shadows, has made her debut! First, what a great cover! Next, I love breathing in the printed pages.

To celebrate this novel's entry into the literary world, I am giving away a few items. Want to join in the giveaway? All you have to do is join me on my Facebook Author Page, click LIKE and then proceed to the discussion that is going on. It's simple! Just answer the discussion question: Have you ever run away from home? What did you take with you?

Why do I ask this question? It does pertain to my novel. Gideon Miller ran away from his Amish home in Carlisle, Pennsylvania to Twin Branches, North Carolina. He carried one duffle bag. Now he helps other Amish youth relocate to English life in the modern world.

As a child, I often threatened to run away from home. Once I packed my red suitcase with the pink interior and set out to run. Of course, I was probably mad at my parents for something they'd done that I felt was unjust. I didn't get far. I think I sat on my suitcase about a block from our house for a bit and then got hungry, and walked home.

Head over to my Author Page and join us! Once you leave a comment there, you have entered the contest. I'm giving away the following and winners will be randomly picked by August 15th. Have fun!

GIVEAWAYS:

1. A pack of Songs From Heaven postcards
2. Two "Memories Warmed by the Heart" magnet
3. A pack of A Grateful Heart Dances postcards
4. Down the Cereal Aisle cookbook

Leaving the Amish: Is God Still There?

I confess that Mose Gingerich was my inspiration behind Still Life in Shadows. But the blurb in a magazine about Ira Wagler's memoir, Growing up Amish, is what I kept inside my desk. What moved me about a memoir I had yet to read?

The book description from the magazine read:

"One fateful starless night, 17-year-old Ira got up at 2:00 a.m., left a scribbled note under his pillow, packed his earthly belongings, and walked way from is Old Order Amish community in Iowa. You'll be riveted by this powerful memoir of what led him to leave, his search for personal freedom, and his conversion to Christianity."

Coversion to Christianity! I loved the way that in that moment of reading about Ira's book, I felt an affirmation within my own heart. Because, for so long, I had wondered how a religion who preached that leaving it meant an eternity in Hell, could be considered as pure and perfect as we English folk make the Amish out to be.

While many may see the Amish as quaint and simple, those who have left their Amish communities show us another side of the plain people.

Saloma Furlong, a former Amish, and author of Why I Left the Amish, says on her blog: "When I left the Amish, I only saw what I felt is the punitive nature of their religion — one belief in particular posed a problem for me. I was taught, from the time I could understand the concept that because I was born Amish, God wanted me to stay Amish, and if I left, all hope of my salvation would be lost. This belief was reinforced with fire and brimstone sermons."

In my soon-to-be-released novel, Still Life in Shadows, my ex-Amish characters struggle with what they were taught and wonder what they should believe about God now that they are no longer part of the old lifestyle. My character, Gideon Miller, wrestles with grace and forgiveness. Is he really headed for Hell since he left his home in Pennsylvania? And can people who profess to be Christians know God even if they are not Amish?

And even deeper lies the question: Why do the youth featured on the recent TV documentary, Amish: Out of Order, focus so much on the afterlife? Heaven or Hell? Is there nothing to be said for life on this earth? Are we not commanded to walk in faith, to love one another, to preach the good news, to show compassion, to feed the poor? Where does scripture tell us that we are doomed to Hell if we leave the Amish? Does this mean that the Amish believe they are the only ones chosen for Heaven?

Then, if this is so, where does that leave the rest of us people of faith, in their minds?

For too long we have idealized the horse and buggy images, even dreaming of what it would be like to be free from the modern constraints of life. But when it comes to a faith that saves the soul, no amount of plain living will get you closer to Jesus Christ. For it is not about the clothes we either wear or don't wear, it's not about covering our heads, but about opening our hearts.

Everyone has to come to Him with a contrite heart, and a desire to be forgiven.

And He is there, patiently waiting to welcome us----all of us, from all nations, races and cultures.

With God, we all matter, and we belong.


Order Still Life in Shadows today by clicking this link.

Ex-Amish at the Library

-News Alert-


Date: July 18, 2012

CONTACT: Gina Rozier

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

919-560-0151 or grozier@durhamcountync.gov

Durham County Library Hosts Award Winning Fiction Writer Alice J. Wisler

Program: Meet the Author: Alice J. Wisler
Date: Tuesday, July 31
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Main Library, 300 N. Roxboro St.
Cost: Free and open to the public

About: Durham County Library welcomes Alice J. Wisler as she launches her latest novel, Still Life in Shadows, on Tuesday, July 31 at 7 p.m. at the Main Library, 300 N. Roxboro St. A book signing will follow the reading.

In this work based upon the true story of ex-Amish member, Moses Gingerich, the novel‘s protagonist leaves his Amish community, settles in the mountains of North Carolina and helps other Amish relocate to life in modern America. The book captures many of Wisler’s interests: all of her novels revolve around North Carolina settings, and according to Wisler, “…have components of Southern fiction like sweet tea, grits and other things...” She also notes that “...if you find some parts that make you cry, well, that's an added bonus.” This latest work, however, departs slightly from thematic tones found within many of Wisler’s earlier novels. The subject matter in Still Life in Shadows is serious in nature, as it portrays protagonist Gideon Miller helping those choosing to leave the Amish faith and struggling to adapt to a new and unfamiliar modern world.

Wisler was raised in Japan, and returned to the United States where she graduated from Eastern Mennonite University. She has traveled and lived throughout the world, choosing to serve with organizations that minister to people. Through her travels, Wisler acquired experiences as diverse as her characters: She taught English as a Second Language in Japan and in refugee camps in the Philippines, worked in educational nonprofits with disadvantaged children and ran a cake-decorating business. Wisler now teaches grief writing courses to help others cope with the experience of losing loved ones. A Christy Award finalist for “Excellence in Christian Fiction,” Wisler resides in Durham, North Carolina.

For more information about the program, contact Joanne Abel at 919-560-0268.

Durham County Library provides the entire community with books, services and other resources that inform, inspire learning, cultivate understanding and excite the imagination. For more information, visit your local library or visit us online at durhamcountylibrary.org.

Cooking with Katy Lee

Welcome author Katy Lee to my blog today! She's written a post about her latest book, Real Virtue, but first let's talk about food.

Thank you, Alice for having me on the Patchwork Quilt Blog! I am excited to be here with you and to meet all your readers. I have to admit, though, when you asked me to come and share about my favorite dish to cook, I got a little panicky.

You see, I’m not much of a cook. (Hanging my head in shame)

But I got to thinking, something I am good at is Crock-Pot cooking. I am all for throwing a bunch of ingredients into a pot in the morning and around 5PM reaping the tasty reward. And with writing all day, it really is convenient. Plus, I don’t have the kids asking me, "What’s for dinner?" They can see it, and smell it, cooking all day.

I have many dishes and soups and stews that I make, but my two favorites are Chili and Beef Stew. They each have a secret ingredient in them that makes them so tasty. My chili is Ketchup. It sweetens it right up.

As for the Beet Stew, the secret ingredient is Tapioca Granules. 2 Tablespoons of those with 2 Tablespoons of sugar mixed with tomato sauce, makes for a great base that thickens up nicely. Then add all your meat and veggies on top and cover. Stir every now and then and you’ve got dinner waiting for you 8 hours later.

Enjoy!

Pastime or Addiction? And the story behind Real Virtue


Did you know video game addiction is becoming an increasingly difficult problem with the youths in America today? It can affect the everyday life and social situations of children through young adults. Video game addiction can hinder a child's learning skills, cause real life problem solving to become more difficult, and cause a child to spend far less time with family and friends.

In Real Virtue, the story opens with my heroine, Mel Mesini, reaching the highest level in this online interactive game she plays. A game that promises her a life she can love. She’s playing while she is supposed to be working. She plays because she doesn’t feel so great about her real life. She plays because it’s a world she can control.

Or so she thinks.


In a virtual reality game where she can fly, someone’s aiming to take her down.

Mel Mesini is a New York City restaurateur and an avid, virtual reality world traveler. She’s risen above her misfit life and now bears a striking resemblance to her glamorous, gaming avatar. But her successful life—both online and in reality—takes a swerve the night her father is seriously injured in a hit-and-run. Mel is careened back to her judgmental hometown, where being the daughter of the town’s crazy lady had made her the outcast she was. To make matters worse, Officer Jeremy Stiles, the man whose harsh, rejecting words had cut her the deepest, is heading the investigation.

Jeremy knows he hurt Mel and attempts to make amends by finding her father’s assailant. When he realizes she’s the actual target, his plan for reconciliation turns to one of protection—whether she wants his help or not. What he wants is answers, especially about this online game she plays. Is it a harmless pastime as she says? Or is she using it to cover something up? As a faceless predator destroys the things that matter to her, Jeremy knows he’s running out of time before she loses the one thing that matters most—her real life.

Katy Lee writes higher-purpose stories in high-speed worlds. As an inspirational author, speaker, home-schooling mom, and children’s ministry director, she has dedicated her life to sharing tales of love, from the greatest love story ever told to those sweet romantic stories of falling in love. Her fresh and unique voice brings a fast-paced and modern feel to her romances that are sure to resonate with readers long after the last page. Her debut novel Real Virtue is a finalist in many writing contests, and took second place in the 2011 Georgia Maggie Award of Excellence. Katy lives in New England with her husband, three children, and two cats.


Visit Katy at these sites: Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Soulmate Publishing


And at her website.

Childhood on the Train

This was first posted at Geezer Guys and Gals, but I also wanted to include it here for my readers.

Enjoy!


~*~*~*


We know that any "seasoned" woman or man from an older generation is accused of telling anecdotes of how as a child she/he used to have to walk to school uphill in the snow. For at least ten miles. Without a warm coat. I didn't have to walk in the snow to school, but I did have to ride the train. That was forty-seven minutes to school and forty-seven minutes back. "So," I tell my kids, "Your mother had it rough." But looking back, I wouldn't trade those experiences for anything.

We were six years old when we started riding the Hankyu line to school in the sixties from Awaji to Karasuma. During the winter mornings, the windows steamed up and we wrote our names on them. In the late afternoons, we crocheted long red scarves, tried to make sense out of math homework, and avoided conversing in English with Japanese men with brief cases.

You had to know a thing or two in order to be a proficient train rider, and the younger children learned the ropes from the older kids.

Rule number one was to walk briskly out our gates from our missionary homes. Once the five of us blond-haired American kids gathered, we marched past the incinerator behind the Yodogawa Christian Hospital, out the hospital gates, to the left, toward the station. Sometimes at 7 AM there was a dusting of frost on the grass. Sometimes one of us lagged behind due to racing back for forgotten homework or a lunch box. We had to pick up the pace; we had a train to catch and it would, sure as tofu is made from bean curd, not be late---even if we were.

Once the train pulled into the station, doors slid opened and passengers boarded the already packed car. Gloved station attendants pushed commuters onto the cars as the whistle blew. Inside the car, we lifted book bags onto the luggage racks or held them between our feet. Then we grabbed the hand rails—loops of plastic suspended overhead—as the train picked up the pace toward Kyoto.

The next rule was to be extremely quiet as the train doors opened at Takatsuki-shi. I think we heard David O talking to himself even before he boarded the car. We held our breath and closed our eyes, as though those actions would keep him from spotting us. As silent as we were, he always managed to find us.

"Hey," he said one morning so that passengers five cars down could hear. "I got this new chemistry set. Wanna see it?" He hoisted a brown square bag.

No one responded.

David O nudged me, his elbow poking both me and a woman trying to read a paperback. "It's really cool."

I was shy, especially around a boy who was two years older than I. While the other kids engaged in conversation leaving me alone to talk to David O, I shook my head and clung to the handrail.

At last, sensing he was being ignored, and the train was too congested to show us vials and test tubes anyway, he offered to show it to us later.

The third rule came into play at our destination. Immediately, when the doors opened, we were to head up the platform stairs as fast as we could. We raced past ladies in gray kimono and weaved between businessmen so that we could be first in line at the taxi stand.

Our final part of our journey was to ride a cab (five of us missionary kids packed into one Nissan) for six miles to our tiny international school where spelling tests and math equations greeted us. At recess, we enjoyed games of Kick the Can and Red Rover, Red Rover.

I have fond memories of those long treks to school. I smile to think how unusual we must have seemed in a land where the natives all had black hair and dark eyes, were dignified and soft-spoken. We were blond, tall, loud and rowdy.

And as for David O and his chemistry set, I did get to see it. One afternoon on a rather empty train car, he spread his set of chemicals and glass beakers onto the seat. As the train rounded a field of rice paddies, the whole car jerked, and my friend Josephine and I watched the green seat turn red and yellow. The conductor raced out of his compartment in a fury, yelling at the Canadian boy for damaging the train seat. David O hung his head while the conductor covered the stained seat with mounds of newspaper.

Which brings me to the next rule for riding the trains---this one became extremely important for survival. When the train conductor fumed over a spilled chemistry set, it was best to run---not walk---away as fast as possible.

And as Josephine and I crouched inside another car, we closed our eyes and were silent, hoping that perhaps no one would notice that we had anything to do with the boy who had caused a scene.

~ Alice J. Wisler grew up in Japan where she rode the train to and from school and dreamed of being an author. Now she lives and writes in Durham, NC and looks forward to the release of her fifth novel, Still Life in Shadows from River North. Her other novels are: Rain Song, How Sweet It Is, Hatteras Girl and A Wedding Invitation (all published with Bethany House). She also teaches writing workshops, both online and at conferences. Visit her website.